


Anchor

by Markov_Debris



Series: Company Series [20]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Episode: s02e11 Adrift, M/M, Spoilers for Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 08:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12744348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markov_Debris/pseuds/Markov_Debris
Summary: Jack returns from Flat Holm Island wanting to know why Ianto lead Gwen there.





	Anchor

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired partially by the Captain's Log entry for Adrift which can be found in the Torchwood Archives Book (and was also published on the BBC America website). This is a Standalone story or can be read as part of the Company/Awaiting Universe Series.

As soon as Jack entered the Hub he told Tosh and Owen that they could finish what they were doing and go.  He didn’t wait for a reaction he just headed down towards the Archives.

All the way back from Flat Holm he had been gently seething.  Ianto had had no right to tell Gwen about the residents there.

Working for Torchwood was difficult and dangerous enough without the team knowing that the Rift was grabbing people and bringing them back broken.  That there were those they had no chance to save.

When Gwen brought the disappearances to the attention of the team, Ianto had tried to urge him to tell her the truth.  Jack had just stonewalled him, what use was the truth when not even the Welshwoman’s humanity could save those lost.

He should have known Ianto had moved against him.  That it was more than just Gwen interrupting them that had the Welshman distracted last night.

Oh last night.  Jack thought it had been his crack about Gwen joining them.  He thought jealousy had motivated the sexual ecstasy he had received not apology for going against his wishes.

The betrayal didn’t hurt yet.  Part of him knew and trusted the Welshman enough for Jack to believe Ianto had a good reason, that his betrayal had a purpose that didn’t hurt.

Okay Gwen hadn’t said that Ianto had told her but the Welshwoman wasn’t a good enough liar to let her lack of denial work.  He had to have an answer.

He had to know if it was Captain Harkness leader of Torchwood or Jack the lover that Ianto has disobeyed.  If his motives were keyed to their personal relationship or strictly Torchwood business.

It wasn’t difficult to locate Ianto putting something away in the archives.  He slowed down as he approached suddenly unsure of himself, unsure what was to happen next, and a little afraid that everything was going wrong.

“She’s going to forgive you,” Ianto called out without looking at him.

“What?” Jack asked suddenly thrown.

Ianto carefully made sure the artefact was in place before he turned to Jack.  There was no apology in the Welshman’s eyes, he believed what he had done was for the best.

“Jack you didn’t just employ Gwen because she gave you a hard on.  You employed her for her humanity, because after Suzie’s suicide you realised there was something we lacked and Gwen could give it to us,” there was a hint of anger in the Welshman’s passionate voice.

“You forget though how she came to your attention in the first place.  How she spied on you when you were testing the glove, how she followed you in the hospital then back to the Hub, how she staked out the bay and found us.

“Not only that when you Retconned her she didn’t let it go.  The case the police were working on nagged at her, the knife nagged at her until she returned by instinct, confronted Suzie and broke thought the Retcon.

“She’s a determined woman Jack,” Ianto said gently as though breaking bad news.  “When she finds something, a cause, a curiosity, she doesn’t let it go.  She routes around and investigates until she knows.

“Jonah’s case got to her friend Andy, he knows her well enough to know how to peak her interest.  To make her keep at it until she was satisfied.

“You lied to her Jack.  She went behind your back, enlisted Tosh’s help, found all those others and you tried to shut her down.  I knew she would be back, though I didn’t expect her quite when she did turn up,” Ianto said with a small smile that Jack returned

“She wasn’t going to stop Jack, and the more you tried the greater the rift you would have created between you.  She would have kept on tracking the negative rift spikes, stalked you until she found the island and all the time she would hated you more and more for keeping the truth from her, for shutting her out of something she felt, she knew, was important.

“She needed to see it Jack.  She needed to understand what they do there, that it’s for the best, and the sooner that happened the less damage there would be between you,” Ianto said appealing.

“Well I don’t think she did understand,” Jack replied darkly.  “She took Jonah’s mum out there.  He was good when she first went there but then he...”

Ianto took his hand, brushed his thumb across not needing Jack to mention the scream.  His eyes had apology in them now and the Immortal felt relief.

“She will understand now.  I know you wanted to spare her, spare the others but you can’t.  You cannot protect us from all the darkness out there and nor should you.

“Gwen will understand now Jack and she will forgive you.  Not just that, she will realise that you have done nothing that needs forgiveness and she will turn her humanity into trying make things better.”

“That terrible scream,” Jack said and enveloped Ianto in his arms.  He was welcomed and held close.

In the seconds as he moved into the Welshman’s arms, Jack knew he had forgiven him.  That Ianto’s words should have been heeded, that the tension and anger that had been humming through the Hub could have been avoided.

Jack could feel Ianto rubbing his back.  Soothing strokes as the Immortal trembled at the thought of horrors he was not immune to.

Keeping hold of as much of the Archivist as he could, Jack let himself be steered back to the main Hub and into his office.  There they sat rocking on the couch as Ianto sang a lullabies to him, some in Welsh, some in his native language.

“Will you stay tonight?  I have some things that I need to do, but could you stay?” Jack asked after a few hours.

“Of course, there are a few things...” Ianto began.

“No,” Jack said pressing a kiss to the Welshman’s lips.

The Immortal rose slowly, stroking Ianto as he stood.  He pressed a hand to keep the young man from rising, crossed his office to collect a book and gave it to the Welshman.

“Please stay.”

Ianto nodded, removed his jacket and curled his legs up on the sofa.  First he turned the book the right way up then opened it and began to read.

Jack watched him for a few seconds, then went to his desk and began to work.  Every now and then he glanced over at Ianto as if to assure himself that he was still there.

A sudden thump drew Jack’s attention instantly to the Welshman.  Ianto had fallen asleep and the book had fallen to the floor.

Jack rose, picked up the book and draped his greatcoat over his sleeping lover.  He kissed Ianto’s forehead and returned to his work.

Once he finished he woke Ianto with a gentle shake and kiss.  They went down into his quarters, stripped and curled up in the narrow bed.

Ianto touched him, offered himself to Jack for whatever he needed.  The emotions he felt frightened the Immortal a little so he stilled his lover.

They lay entwined as Ianto fell asleep again and Jack watched over him.  He replayed the Welshman’s speech in his head and the value of the man in his arms increased as he realised he was right.

They made love in the morning and Jack tried to pretend that everything was normal again.  Ianto let him get away with it and the Immortal knew that, like all of his actions over this business, it was because the Welshman loved him.

A noise drew Jack to the interrogation room where Gwen had put up all the missing person’s profiles.  He watched her gathering them up and felt sad that she looked defeated.

Yet in time the Ianto’s words proved true.

 

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you liked this story.  
> This is currently the last of the Company Companions, although there is another one-shot that is part of the Awaiting Universe (I say currently because the last Company Companion I wrote was actually Disastrous Interlude which I was inspired to write whilst writing another story; so I might feel inspired to fill in some of the gaps I have left in series 2).  
> The next story in the Company/Awaiting Universe Series is Artistic Company which is about the aftermath of Exit Wounds. It will be the last story in the Company Series, thought the Awaiting Universe will continue for a few more stories.  
> On a similar note to the above, for those interested in the history of my writing, I wrote and posted New to the Company on my LiveJournal between this story and Artistic Company, as my reflection on Fragments, however as I have mentioned I decided for chronological order when posting here so that was the story I posted first.


End file.
